Loading attachment for guns



(No Model.)

- H. A. SPILLER.

LOI-LDIlIGf ATTACHMENT FOR GUNS.

No. 457,293. Patented Aug. 4, 1891.

lNvENlTpR- me mams ravens co.. Pun'ruvumn., msmnamn, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY A. SPILLER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE-PN EU- MATIC GUN CARRIAGE AND POINTER COMPANY, OF WHEELING, TEST VIRGINIA.

LOADING ATTACHMENT4 FOR GUNS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 457,293, dated August 4, 1891.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARRY A. SPILLER, a citizen of the United States of America, and `a resident of Boston,.in the county of Suffolk 5 and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Loading Attachments for Guns, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to gun-loaders, and particularly to the loading of heavy guns.

The invention consists in the combination, with a gun adapted to be elevated and depressed at its muzzle and to be moved 4horizontally for changing its lline of direction and to be supported in both its vertical and horizontal positions, of a rail or other suitable guideway, one end located at and extending from the breech of the gun to a point below it and held on the support of the gun in order 2o to be turned therewith, and an ammunitioncar having a chamber or chambers open at both ends to receive ammunition and held on and arranged to travel along said guideway to be brought into a position behind the breech of the gun and to present an ammunition-chamber in proper relation to the gun and in loading to be moved to a position below the gun when not in use.

It consists, furthermore, in the combination, with a gun, of a support for the gun journaled at its forward end on a suitable support, so that the gun may be elevated and depressed at its muzzle and supportedat diiferent elevations, a rail or other suitable guide- Way located at and extending from a point adjacent to the breech of the gun att-ached to the support of the gun and preferably'extendingin a-curvilinear direction concentric, or approximately so, with the axis of motion of the gun on its support, an ammunition-car having 4an open chamber or chambers to receive ammunition and held on and arranged to travel along the guideway and designed to be brought into a position behind the breech of the gun and to present an amm unition-chamber to the breech of the gun and also to travel to a position below the gun, and mechanism for the run of the car upward and downward on its guideway, consisting, essentially, of a rope,

chain, or the like, and of pulley-wheels or 5o other suitable guides for the run ot' the rope and held on the car, the guideway-being sub stantially coincident with the axis of motion of the gun on its journals.

The invention consists, furthermore, in the combination, with a gun, of a guideway or rail suitably arranged with reference to the gun, a car designed to run on the guideway or rail to be brought into proper position to permit the transfer of a charge from the car- 6o riage to the gun, and a cylinder having its piston-rod operated by compressed air, steam, or the like and connected by rope, chain, or other connection with the car, whereby the latter may be drawn up to the breech of the gun and moved away from the same.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure l is a side elevation of the gun, the journaled support, and a horizontally-rotating gun-carriage sup- 7o port-ing a beam, and which in some parts is in vertical section, and also a side elevation of the ammunition-car, its supporting rail or guideway and mechanism for moving the ammunition-car up, and a central vertical section 7 5 of the telescoping sectional ram rod and cylinder for operating the same, and, furthermore, side elevations and vertical sections of other parts, but which constitute no portion of this invention, being only shown for better illus- 8o tration of mechanism for handling agun and the ammunition with which it is to be loaded. Fie". 2 is an enlarged view of the ammunitioncar at its end presented toward the ramrod and a transverse vertical section on line 2 2 85 of Fig. .l of the gun-support. Fig. 3 is ahorizontal section on line 3 3 of Fig. l and a plan view of the ammunition-car.

In the drawings, K represents the gun. The gun lies lengthwise of and. is supported 9o on a beam or other suitable support O, which' is journaled at its end toward the muzzle of the gun on a support L, which is preferably a rotating carriage, though,if desired, it may be a support which is stationary. The beam O extends beyond the breech E of the gun, and its end has a riser or standard O2 to support the ramrod T and mechanism for its operation, as will hereinafter fully appear. The

beam O below and near the breech of the gun plate and guideway L4, surrounded by a case-v ment U, which is held on and rotates with the gun-carriage and is constructed to inclose the gun, except its muzzle, which projects through a port-hole U2 of the casemate and the operating and stationary mechanisms connected therewith, some parts of which have already been described or specially referred to, and which, as well as others, will be hereinafter described, in so far as they constitute parts or-are necessary to a' full understanding of this invention.

The gun-carriage, otherwise than its support by the friction-rollers L13 on the stationary guideway L4, as stated, has a central vertical spindle L5, resting and turning in a suitable bearing of a stationary step or block L5.

A A is a rail or guideway located just back of the breechE of the gun and extending verticallyand in a curvilinear direction, preferably practically concentric, or approximately so, vwith the axis of the vertical motion of the gun. The railway A A is held on the rotating gun-carriage, and is attached at its upper end to the easement U and at its lower end to the central vertical spindle L5 of the guncarriage, all so as to rotate with the gun-car-4 riage.4 It extends from a plane just above the breech of the gun downward to a plane below the gun-carriage and guideway L4 therefor, ending in a pit U3, surrounding the gun- -carriage spindle L5 and below the easement U. p Otherwise than as stated the runningplane of the railway A A is practically in a vertical plane parallel with and at one side of the vertical plane of the axis of the gun.

B C is an ammunition-car. This car has traction-wheels B2, which are held and turn on it and are adapted to engage and run and hold the car on the railway, and, as particularly shown, it has a single open horizontal cylindrical-shaped chamber qr compartment C5, which when placed at the breech of the gun will coincide therewith. This chamber C5 is to receive ammunition, and, if it be a shot, with its point presented toward the bore of the gun.

The drawings illustrate a block-and-tackle mechanism for handling a shot to placeit in the chamber of the ammunition-car.

` mechanism depends from a car V, which is arranged to roll along and to be held on a This y horizontal track-rail V2, held on the ygun-carriage. Neither this mechanism northe ammunition-car described forms any part of the present invention.

The car is loaded with ammunition when in the pin U5, and from the pit it is run up the railway A A and brought to proper position at the breech of the gun for its load of ammunition (shown in the drawings as a shot) to be then removed from the car and forced or rammed into the gun, after which the car is run down the railway to the pit U5, to ,be again` charged with ammunition and again run up the railway, and so on, as before.

Under this invention the ammunition-car is run up and down the railway, and the ammunition is forced from the car and rammed into the gun by separate mechanisms constituting parts of this`invention,and the former is now to be described.

W represents* a rope fastenedv to an earpiece W2, held on and projecting from the rear side of the ammunition-car, and there it passes over the upper side of a vertically-located guide pulley-Wheel W5, held and turning on the rear side of the car and havingit-s axis of rotation horizontal and parallel with the vertical running-plane of the car on the railway. From this pulley-wheel W5 of the car the rope passes down and around the under side of a vertical pulley-Wheel W4, held and turning on the gun-carrying beam O in rear of the breech of the gun. The rope passes horizontally along the side and toward the forward end of the beam O from the pulleywheel W4 and over the upper side of a guide pulley-wheel W5, held and free to turn with the beam supporting the gun. From this pulley-wheel the rope runs downward and around the under side of a vertical guide pulleywheel VV5,held and turning on the horizontal platform L36 of the gun-carriage, and then along the platform and then partially around a vertical pulley-wheel W7, held and turning on the projecting end of a horizontal pistonrod X of ahorizontal piston-cylinder X201? an air-engine and back to and rigidly fastened on and at the periphery of the pulley-wheel W6 of said platform L55. Y

The air-engine above referred to is of an ordinary or other suitable construction for imparting a reciprocating mot-ion, using air or steam under pressure to move the piston-rod X, and as the construction and arrangement of such air-engines are well known it neither needs any special illustration in the drawings nor particular description herein.

X4 is a pipe yfor conducting air to the piston-cylinder, being suitably connected' with an air-supply pipe. (Not shown.)

Under the in-and-out movement of the pis- IOO IIO

IZS

ton-rod X, by the operation of an air-engine,

as referred to, the guide pulley-wheel W7, carried by the piston-rod, is made to move to-v.

ward and away from the opposed guide pulened, as it were, allowing the ammunitioncar to run down the railway A A, and in the other instance it is shortened, as it were, drawing the car up the railway and in whatever direction the car is moving, and when not moving by having stopped the operation of the air-engine by closing the valve X5 of the air-supply pipe the ammunition-car is always supported and held against accidental movement in either direction up or down the railway and the rope is always at a tension. p

Under an arrangement of mechanism such as above described for moving the ammunition-car up and down the railwayA A, in cooperation with the concentric curvilinear direction of the railway relative to the swing of the gun-carrying beam 0, plainly, whatever may be the direction of the gun, said mechanism is always in proper position for use and action, is free in movement, and it and the car and railway are under no undue strain, and the power required is practically but slightly in excess of that for balancing' the weight of the car and of its contents.

The ramrod T, as particularly shown, is in three separate telescoping sections T T2 T3, severally concentrically arranged within and held on a horizontal cylinder T4, common to them all, and which is im movably held on the standard4 of the gun-carrying beam O and axially coincident with the axial line and at the rear of the breech of the gun, so that when suitably actuated therefor,and as hereinafter appears, to force the ammunition presented by the ammunition-car B C in the line of the bore of the gun forward and thereby to enter the gun. The section T is the inner of the three sections T T2 T2, and it has at its end projected toward the gun a ramming-head F6, suitable for the work to be performed by it in ramming a gun, and at its opposite end portion a solid head T4 to serve as a pistonhead, and between these heads it works as a piston-rod F3 to the section T2 next surrounding it, and all so as to move forward and backward in the section'T2 on the admission of air under pressure to one end of said section T5 and exhausting air from the other end, and vice versa. The same is true in substance of the section T2 as to theI section T3 next surrounding it, and also of the section T5 as to the air-cylinder F next surrounding it, except that the piston-heads T5 and T6 of the sections T2 and T2, respectively, are opened, whereas the piston-head T4 of the inner section T is closed to the rear head of the cylinder F.

The several sections T T2 T2, constructed and arranged as described, on the admission of air'under pressure to the piston-cylinder F at its head, toward which the open pistonheads of the section are presented, as stated, are simultaneously forced forward through the cylinder F and toward the gun, and then separately or conjointly, two or more, as the case may be, according as each reaches the limit of its movement in that direction within the cylinder and of the telescoping sections i and leaving the air then in the cylinder free to exhaust from it each of the sections, and then admitting air under pressure to the forward head of the piston-cylinder and similarly to the opposite or forward heads of the several telescoping sections, excepting the inner section T.

F4 is a pipe for supplying air under pressure to the air-cylinder and the telescoping sections T T2 T3 of the ramrod, as above described. This pipe F4 is connected with any suitable supply, and it leads to the opposite ends of the cylinder and has a valve F5, of suitable construction and arrangement, and, as well known, for opening and closing its connection with the ends of the piston-cylinder F and the air-supply and for the exhaust of air from the cylinder and the telescoping sections.

In the distention of the ramrod the air admitted to the air-cylinder acts directly on each telescoping section and on all from within the cylinder F; but in the closing of the ramrod the air then admitted to the cylinder F acts within the cylinder only on the outer telescoping section and on the others, except the innermost section within each, respectively, and communication is had therefor between each of the sections and cylinder F through an air port or ports F45, leading through the walls of the several sections.

A ramrod in telescoping sections arranged' together and within an air-cylinder F, all substantially as described, is important, in that a ramrod is secured of a maximum length and requiring, comparatively considered, a minimum amount of space, and the importance of which is all the more manifest with the limited room available for the location and operation of ramrods for heavy guns surrounded by a easement.

X is a hood or nozzle held on the forward head of the operating piston-cylinder F for the telescoping ramrod T. centric with said cylinder and gun, and it Aprojects forward from the cylinder-head toward the breech of the gun.

X2 is a pipe leading into the hood X and to be connected in any suitable manner with the air-supply under pressure Vand to have a suitable valve to open and close it. The hood and pipe for supplying air under pressure, as explained, furnish a ready means for blowing air through the bore of the gun from the breech to the muzzle, and thereby to discharge the gases remaining in the gun after it has IIO This hood is conp been fired from the gun at the muzzle,a very desirable and important adjunct, as is obviing ramrod may be connected, as shown, by

a pipe T7 for the air to be supplied to it from a chambered cylinder Q, and which is a cylinder having air and water compartments and a movable piston-head, (not showm) and also having its water-compartment connected by a water-passage P6 with the cylinder P3, containing the ram P, to support, elevate, and depress and receive the recoil of a gun.

Pulley-wheels, for obvious reasons, are more preferable as guides for the operating-rope w of4 the ammunition-car B c; but other wellknown forms of guides for the rope may be substituted for the rope. A rope, however, is practical and efficient.

An air-engine is more preferable for the motive power for operating the rope; but other well known or suitable forms of motive power may be employed.

Preferably the gun, as has been particularly described, is supported on a beam journaled on a suitable support; but obviously, for the operation of some parts of the invention, the gun may be journaled directly upon the support itself, adapted, as well known or otherwise, for the gun to be elevated and depressed at its muzzle.

In conclusion, it will be observed that while air has been specially mentioned as the iuid used for the operations of the mechanism of this invention, and, as particularly explained, the invention is not to be limited in that regard.

While I have particularly described aspecial forni of ramrod for use in connection with my invention, and also a device for supplying and forcing air through the bore of the gun and the passage leading thereto, I do not herein claim the same, subject-matter referring particularly to these parts being covered by separate applications for patents.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a gun adapted to be elevated and depressed and to be moved horizontally for changing its line of direction, of a rail or other suitable guideway located at and extending from a position adjacent to the -breech of the lgun and attached to the support for the horizontal adjustments ofthe gun,.and an vammunition-car held on and arr ranged to travel along` said guideway, to be brought into a position behind the breechof the gun and into a position below the gun, substantially as described, for the purposes specified.

at and extending from a position adjacent to the breech of the gun and attached to a support for the horizontal adjustments of the gun, and an ammunition-car having an open chamber or chambers to receive ammunition and held on and arranged to travel along said guideway, to be brought into a f position behind the breech of the gun to present an ammunition-chamber to the breech of the gun and into a position below the gun, substantially as described, for the purposes specified,V

3. The combination, with agun and a beam directly supporting the gun, journaled at its forward end on a suitable support, of a rail or other suitable guideway-.located at and extending from to below the breech of thegun and held on said support,'an ammunition-car having an open chamber or chambers to receive ammunition and held and arrangedto travel along said guideway, to be brought into'a position behind the breechv of the gun and to present an ammunition-chamber to the breech of the gun and into a position below the gun, and means to operate said ammunition-car, consisting, essentially, of a rope orother line at one end attachedto the car and at the other end attached to the pistonrod of a suitable cylinder, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a gun and a beam directly supporting the gun, journaled at its forward end on a suitable support, so .thatl the gun may be elevated and depressed at-its muzzle and supported in` its vertical positions, of a rail or other suitable guideway extending from the breech of the gun and held on and arranged to travel along said guideway, and thereby to be brought intoa position behind the breech of the gun andto presentan am munition-chamber to the bore and into a position below the gun, and means to operate said ammunition-car, consisting, essentially, of a rope or other line at` one end attached to the car and 'at the other end held in said support for said beam, and guides for .the run of said rope from the car to said beam supporting the gun, and one of which guides axially, or substantially so, coincident with thev axis of fthe journals journaling. the gun on its said supporting-beam, substantially as described, for the purpose speciiied.

5. The combination, with a gun and a beam I directly supporting the gun, journaled at its forward end portion on a suitable support, and all so that the gun may be elevated and IOO depressed at its muzzle and supported in vits vertical positions, of a rail or other suitable guideway located at and extending below the breech of the gun and held on said support for said beam and having a curvilinear concentric, or substantiallyl so, with the journals journaling the gun on said beam, an ammunition-car having an open chamber 4or.

chambers to receive ammunition and held on and arranged to travel along said guide Way, and thereby to be brought into a position behind the breech of. the gun and to present an ammunition-chamber to the bore and into a position below the gun, and means to opererate said ammunition-car, consisting, essentially, of a rope or other line at one end held on the car and at the other end held on said support for said beam and located and held on the car, its guideway, and the beam supporting the gun, and one of which is axially, or substantially so, coincident with the axis of thel journals journaling the gun on its said supporting-beam, substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

6. The combination, With agun and a beam from end to end to receive ammunition and held on and arranged to travel along said guideway, and thereby to be brought into a position behind the breech of the gun and to present an ammunition-chamber end to end in relation to the bore and into a position below the gun, and means to operate said am.- munition-car, consisting, essentially, of a rope or other line at one end held on the car and at the other end held on said support for said beam, an air-engine held on said support for said beam and having a reciprocating piston-rod, and guides for the run of said rope from the car to said beam and located and held on the car, its guideway, beam supporting the gun, and piston-rod of the air-engine, substantially as described, for the purpose Specied.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit nesses.

.HARRY A. SPILLER.

Vitnesses:

ALBERT W. BROWN, HENRY F. McKEEvER. 

